My Trip to New York

Day one: As soon as two cars came zooming towards my apartment, my family and I hogged all of our luggage and trotted expeditiously down the messy staircase. We set the suitcases neatly in the trunk. Then we dashed off to the DFW airport with exhilarated faces. In about 15-20 minutes, we reached the airport and unloaded all of our luggages. We rolled to the security checking machine and got all of our suitcases and bags checked.All of us bolted to terminal E and gate 28. After being patient for an hour, the flight attendants called my group(3)to board the flight United.

United Flight

This flight went to Chicago O'Hare.We had to go to Buffalo International Airprot to see the Niagara Falls, hence we had to go on a connecting flight from Chicago to Buffalo. During both flights, the attendants offered us juice and a bit-size snack.As soon as we reached Chicago, my two twin sisters became restless and hungry.So, my dad got us all a big burger!The duration from Chicago to Buffalo was one hour and went by pretty quickly.Just after we landed, we collected all of our luggages and strolled across the airport to get our rental car.

Since there were seven people, we got a black Dodge mini van which was extremely smooth. My dad drove the car and we hurtled to our rental house.But on the way we encountered a humongous shower followed by scary strokes of lightning and thunder. All of us became worried since we barely knew where all the buttons were in the car; such as the wiper button.Hence, we stopped in the shoulder lane and figured out where the wiper button was. Then with the help of the GPS, all of us reached safely.

Our Dodge for the week.

The exterior of the house looked nicely decorated, but that thought was erased after we saw the interior of the house.It was owned by an Indian and was extremely antique.My mom and grandma had already prepared our dinner(Chapathi/ Indian tortilla)which was nice and warm.My parents had to leave to go get some grocery items, so my grandparents, my sisters, and I stayed back. All of us rushed into a room and my grandma began telling many stories. After a few minutes, I got up to see out of the window."AAH"I bellowed in my mind.In front of my eyes lay a broken tree.Light was shining brightly onto one corner and everything was pitch dark on the other.In addition, bugs crawling were crawling on the walls. At that moment, all that was running in my mind was that this house was like a petrifying ghost house!

It wasn't a moment too soon when my parents came bursting in to the room we were in. With hands loaded with Walmart covers, my mom called us all for dinner.After eating, we all went to our rooms, cuddled in and were fast asleep in a blink of an eye.

Day two: As soon as we arose the next day, we prepared to go to the Niagara Falls.Excitedly, we descended down the steps of our house and clambered onto to the car. The first stop was the Aquarium, to park the car.Then, we ambled to the trolley stop, which was not far.We all wore our green, sticky bands on our wrist and  boarded the first trolley of the day and got down in Maid of The Mist. To our surprise Niagra falls was not crowded at all..Maid of the Mist was a boat ride to see the American side of the falls close up and a part of the Canadian side. Luckily, we were offered blue rain ponchos so that we don't get drenched.

Maid of Mist

My Grandpa with a Seagul

The Niagara Falls were really strong and mist could be seen everywhere.In addition, many blinding camera flashes took place.Within seconds, we all were past the American side and in the corner of our eyes was the Canadian side of the Niagara Falls. The Canadian side was much more elegant and amazing.It stretched out broad and wide.Plus, it began pouring down at an amazing height. Forceful water began flying all over us. It  was so refreshing and relaxing when it stopped. Unfortunately, the boat turned back really quickly.Everyone took one last click before getting off of the ship.Then all of us ascended up a long staircase to see the falls from a height. It was a little stressful for my grandparents, but we made it all the way up.The view was mind blowing and I kept taking many pictures.All of a sudden , many gasps were to heard.There was a double rainbow!!After a few minutes, we made our way down and sat down to catch our breath.Next, we walked along the American Rapids and saw several seagulls soaring the blue sky. Also, we went up the Niagara Clifton Bridge which led us to the best viewpoint in the Niagara State Park;Luna Island.It was a high cliff from which we could see a place called Cave of Winds and the the Niagara falls were just so close, that I could put my hand right through it! After a about 5 minutes, we paced back to a trolley stop to go home.We only had to wait for a minute before two trolley carts came chugging by.

After showing our neon green bands,we clambered on and our stop was called quickly. Just as we did in the morning, we went up the bridge and on the other side was our car.In just about 2 minutes, we were back in our home. Lunch was set up in a jiffy and all of our bellies were packed with delicious food.My  parents recalled to what we had seen from Luna Island,and they decided to experience the Cave of Winds.Since my grandparents were really tired, we asked if they wanted to come.All of us sett off again except my grandfather, who stayed back to rest.

After paying for The Cave of winds, we waited in a long line that moved pretty fast. Then, we got into an elevator that took us down 18 floors!We were offered yellow ponchos and comfortable, rubber shoes since we were going to get soaking wet! After a short distance, we confronted a long staircase. The stairs were thin and me and my sisters were sort of nervous. Also, water from the falls kept beating on us. Finally, we reached all the way up.Now, not only could I just put my hand right through, but also my whole body! I started running here and there, drenching myself from head to toe. One of my twin sisters were scared and stood with my grandma, while the other one, me, and my parents had loads of fun. After 5-10 minutes, we got down and carefully took off our wet ponchos. Then we went back up 18 floors and had some ice cream.                     

Facts about Cave of winds :

1. The original Cave of Winds(a cavern) was located behind the Bridal Veil Falls.
2. In 1901, the cavern was originally, 130 feet high.
3. During that time, it was also 100 feet wide and hundred feet in depth.
4. The Cave of Winds was first found by Joseph W. Ingraham.
5. But, Barry Hill White and George Sims were the 2 first people to walk behind the Bridal Veil Falls.
6. Both of them named it Aeolus Cave after the Greek God of Wind.
7. Unfortunately, many people did not like this name, so Ingraham renamed it to be the CAVE OF WINDS.  

Later,we boarded the last trolley of the day and zoomed back home.As soon as we reached home, all the chairs and sofas were full since we were so tired.But, all knew that the day  was not over ;we had to see the the Niagara Falls light up.While we were watching Jurassic Park,  my father's old college friend came over and had some coffee and grapes.Then, just as he left, all of us got into the car to go see the Falls light up.

Since the trolley was out for the rest of the day, we went there in the car. We reached within minutes and were up the stairs to the 200 f.t high observatory to see the falls from up high. But after seeing the way it lighted up, I was not that surprised. My thought of the falls lighting up naturally like the Northern Lights were erased since I saw lights of different colors from a distance, which shone onto the falls. As soon as we reached home, we were so tired and were asleep in no time.

Day 3: Morning dawned quicker than I thought,and all the suitcases were packed for our 8 hour car drive to New York City!We were moving very fast.Once all was ready, we dashed to the car and hurtled off.We passed many greenery just before my sisters and I dozed off. As we arose, we paused for breakfast at a rest area.We munched on bread and slurped some mango juice. I felt like a happy bumble bee that was very energetic. Some how, another 3-4 hours swept by and another rest area was to be found for lunch.  After lunch, we stretched a little bit and continued the rest of the drive. Since New York houses were very costly, we stayed in an apartment in Jersey city. Then, a city with tall buildings could be seen in sight. We were in New Jersey!  As soon as the Jersey City sign was to be seen, we reached to our neat house.

It was spotless and had a TV in each room.All the quilts were soft, fluffy and were urging me to tuck into them. But alas, we had to get going to Times Square.After a couple of minutes, we strolled out and drove to the metro station.Then, we got two metro card passes to go to New York. 6 stops later, we set our eyes on some of the tall buildings in Big Apple.

Train from Journal Square to Street 33.

Why is New York called the Big Apple?

New York was the best apple grower after the state of Washington. But the name formed 

from horse racing.In 1920, a news reporter named John. Fitz. Gerald once heard an African American stable hands say that they were going to "Big Apple." Fitz Gerald posted it into his paper columns and many jazz musicians used the name in their music. Later it faded but again was brought up by the president of the New York convention, Charles Gillet.

After a quick dinner at a pasta shop, we moved on to see Times Square. On the way, we saw the world's largest shop; Macy's! We were greeted in by Mickey Mouse and an whole bunch of Disney characters. In addition, many bright lights and advertisements were to be seen. It looked like bright,big star banners attached to skyscrapers. After some time, with some navigation, we found another metro station, which led us straight home. 

My mom in front of Times Square.

Day 4: Birds chirped beautifully as the bright sunlight beamed through the window of my room. Today many places were to be explored, such as the Empire State building.We set once more on a train to first see the Nine Eleven Memorial.

Facts about the Nine Eleven Memorial:

9/11 is shortened for the day September 11, 2001.That day, 19 men crashed two aeroplanes into the Twin Towers.The group was called Al-Qaeda.They were all terrorists who hurt people to help themselves. Around 17,000 people were working there when the aeroplanes were about to crash. The majority of them safely escaped, but nearly 3,000 people died.The reason the Al-Qaeda crashed the U.S was to gain more power. By damaging the U.S a lot, it would get weaker and the Al-Qaeda would be more powerful.

In addition, we saw the new twin towers being built.Then, we strolled to Wall Street and saw the New York Stock Exchange and the Charging Bull. We stood in a crowded line and took pictures of us standing near the Charging Bull.

Later, we moved on to a Hop on Hop off bus that led us through the streets of New York. It also led us to the Empire State Building!After getting tickets, we shot up in the elevator to the 86th floor! The view there was spectacular, jaw dropping and many tall buildings could be seen. 

Facts about the  Empire State Building

1. The  Empire State Building is a skyscraper in Manhattan, New York.
2. It has 103 floors and is 1454 ft (443.2 m) including the antenna spire.  
3. It was designed by William Lamb. 
4. It only took 410 days for workers to build the Empire State Building.

View from 86th floor of  Empire State Building

After enjoying the view, we went to Starbucks and had some nice hot Latte and some croissants. Then we ambled back to the metro station and were home quickly. The rest of the day was spent by relaxing and watching T.V. 

Day 5: Today's day plan was to explore Madame Tussaud and to go on a cruise to the Statue of Liberty. Just as the days before, we boarded the train and dashed off to Madam Tussaud's. As we entered Madam Tussaud's, we confronted a wax lady high up on the ceiling. The first floor showed many celebrities such us Johnny Depp. 

After taking many pictures of celebrities, we moved on to see scientists such as Albert Einstein. Also, one of the rooms were full of presidents and chiefs around the world.We even stood with Barack Obama.

The next floor was superhero themed. Spider man,  and Hulk were the first heroes to be seen.As we went farther in, we were invited into a 4-d theatre, in which we saw a 20 minute super hero movie.It had cool effects - vibrating seat and the water splashing on our face which are synchronized with the action sequence in the movie.

Hulk strangling my dad

The last floor was about sports and arts. Sports players such us Selena Williams were presented. Gymnasts and ice skaters were also there. Another room also contained famous artists holding pallets and paint tubes. But my sister's favourite room was the one with pop star singers. The room was dark, and the only source of light was from the  spotlight that shone on the room.

 After this room, signs for the gift shop were seen. We bought a magnet that said "I love N.Y." Then, we caught a bus and went on a cruise to see the Statue of Liberty. We were floating on the lake that divided New York and New Jersey. Tall buildings surrounded the ship on both sides. A cool breeze hit our face as we made our way to the Statue of Liberty.

Facts about the Statue of Liberty:

The height of the Statue of Liberty from the pedestal foundation to the tip of the torch is 305 feet, and 6 inches. It weighs 225 tons!It was a gift from France.`

The ship returned quickly back and we still had a lot to see in New York. So, we made our way to a hop on hop of bus. For another 2-3 hours we sat on that  bus and explored upper Manhattan. We saw some of the streets of Harlem and the exterior of Central park. In addition, the bus zoomed by a museum. At the last stop, we got down and went inside a M and M shop. We returned outside in 10 minutes with half a bag full of M and Ms.Then, after we saw a last glimpse of New York, returned home, and we relaxed ourselves in our cosy beds.

Day 6: When I woke up, the suitcases were all packed. The feeling of rush was in the air since today was the day we were going back home(Dallas). After everyone was ready, we zoomed to the airport and went past the security in no time.As soon as a Virgin American flight landed,we took off to Dallas. In 2 hours, we were back in Dallas. A taxi was called and we reached home safely.

This trip was an enjoyable experience and I love it a lot.I'm sure memories of this trip will stay in my mind forever.